Future Secured - Shaping a Future-Proof Digital Society
Future Secured brings you in-depth conversations with Australian and global cyber security leaders, founders, CEOs, and co-founders.
Hosted by Jason Murell and Tom Finnigan, each episode delves into the personal journeys of these experts as they navigate the challenges of building and scaling successful cyber security businesses.
From critical industry issues to hard-learned lessons, the podcast explores the competitive global market and offers valuable insights on how to start, grow, and succeed in the cyber security space.
Join us as we uncover the stories behind the industry's brightest minds and build a knowledge base to help aspiring cyber security entrepreneurs thrive.
Future Secured - Shaping a Future-Proof Digital Society
Verizon Warning - The Real State of Cyber Security. Future Secured Ep 38
What do C-suites misunderstand most about cyber security?
Robert Le Busque, Regional VP for Asia Pacific at Verizon Business Group, joins Tom Finnigan and Jason Murrell to talk about the real state of cyber readiness and the costly gaps most leaders don’t see until it’s too late.
From his background in classical music to running cyber simulations with Fortune 500 execs, Rob shares candid insights from decades on the front lines of digital infrastructure, cyber strategy and crisis response.
🚨 His warning?
The threats are real, but the fundamentals still aren’t in place. And the next breach likely won’t be a tech failure it’ll be human.
🔑 Key Takeaways
“It’s not if, it’s not when, it’s how.”
C-suite leaders must shift their mindset to focus on response readiness, not just threat anticipation.
Ransomware isn’t fading.
Verizon data shows 51% of breaches now involve ransomware and attackers are combining encryption with exfiltration.
Preparedness is a muscle.
Tabletop exercises and realistic simulations remain the gold standard for executive cyber readiness.
The basics still trip us up.
Weak passwords, MFA gaps, and phishing still dominate breach root causes, decades later.
Human behaviour is the lowest tide mark.
Targeting individuals continues to be the most successful attack vector.
Cyber criminals run like corporations.
These are not hoodie-wearing loners; they’re structured, profitable and evolving constantly.
Real-time posture data is the next frontier.
Snapshot audits aren’t enough. Continuous risk insights will reshape board-level cyber conversations.
📢 Soundbites
“Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.”
“You never rise to the occasion. You default to your level of preparedness.”
“The cyber threat that worries me most? Human behaviour.”
“Tabletops are good. But real-world drills show what really breaks.”
“Criminals only need to be right 1% of the time.”
“It unravelled really quickly when it became real.”
“A snapshot in time isn’t good enough.”
“Most SOCs are full of tools, very few outcomes.”
“The threat model isn’t broken, so they’re not trying to fix it.”
“Cyber security is everyone’s job, but leadership must set the tone.”
⏱ Chapters
00:00 – Welcome & Context on APAC Cyber Landscape
02:27 – Rob’s Unlikely Path: From Music to Technology
07:08 – COVID, Digital Acceleration & Leadership Lessons
10:35 – Cyber Threats in APAC: What Keeps Execs Awake
15:50 – Inside Verizon: Global Infrastructure at Scale
18:57 – The Evolving Nature of Ransomware
22:34 – Real-Time Readiness: How C-Suites Should Prepare
27:30 – Why Simulations Beat Tabletop Exercises
33:03 – Continuous Risk vs One-Off Audits
36:04 – Why People Still Matter More Than Tech
39:05 – Bridging the Cyber Skills Gap
41:30 – AI Threats vs Old-School Scams
43:59 – The Basics Still Aren’t Basic Enough
46:50 – Final Advice to Cyber Leaders